Former leading New Zealand publisher and bookseller, and widely experienced judge of both the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, talks about what he is currently reading, what impresses him and what doesn't, along with chat about the international English language book scene, and links to sites of interest to booklovers.

The book will again feature The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons
and The Lost Symbol's lead character Robert Langdon. Brown also noted
on The Today Show that it "will be set in Europe, in the most fascinating
place I've ever seen" (we're guessing Florence, Italy since that's where
Dante wrote, and Florence's Duomo church features on the cover of the book).

Transworld's press release for the book relates a bit
more: the book will revolve around one of "history’s most enduring and
mysterious literary masterpieces" (we're assuming Dante's Divine
Comedy, with a focus on the Infernoportion, due to the title of
the book).

The title was announced this morning on The Today Show. Readers were invited to
participate in the unveiling of the title by posting on Facebook or tweeting,
using the hashtag #DanBrownToday that they were helping unveil the title of Dan
Brown's newest book. These readers' profile pictures then claimed a tile in a
mosaic. After enough readers contributed their title suggestions, the new
title was revealed. Even if you've never read a Dan Brown book, you can guess
that the man really enjoys his puzzles.

According to Amazon's listing of the title, which went up shortly after
the announcement was made, "In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of
symbology, Robert Langdon, is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of
history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces…Dante’s Inferno.

Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with
an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret
passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem,
Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust… before the world is
irrevocably altered."

Brown hit global success with his fourth novel, The Da Vinci Code. It
became a New York Times bestseller during its first week of release in
2003. Brown's books have now sold over 200 million copies, and
two of them have been adapted into films (Da Vinci Code and Angels
& Demons) starring Tom Hanks as Langdon. Brown is also currently
helping to adapt The Lost Symbol for the big screen.